When we were in Raleigh, on the 13th day of last month, we understood that a resolution had been agreed upon by yourself and the council of state that the number of the convicts, working on the Watauga and Yadkin Valley Railway should be increased to 50 at once, and by July the first, to 75. We thought that this was the deliberate judgment of the Governor and council of state. We at once, before we returned home, visited the railroad authorities and informed them of your action, and directed them to arrange quarters for the convicts, which they promptly did, but the convicts were not sent as promised, whereupon one of us went to Raleigh last week to find out if possible, what caused the delay. You not being in the city, such members of the council of state as were interviewed, said they understood the agreement as we did, but they did not inform us why the convicts had not been sent on the works, and now we write this so that we may be fully informed whether it is the policy of the administration to turn down the matter entirely and leave us without hope of aid. We were sure from promises that you had made us that with the unanimous concurence of the council of state we would get the promised aid, not only was this promise made by yourself, but by the preceeding administration, and when we considered the provisions of the act of Assembly of 1909, and renewed by the session of 1911, investigated and approved by the session of 1913, which made our enterprise an exception to others, all of which we brought to the notice of the railroad authorities in good faith, and relying on the laws mentioned and the liberal promises made to us by the Governor and council of state, to be turned down now as we feel that we have been, we feel greatly humiliated and feel just like leaving the state of North Carolina. We have been assured to-day by wire that if the state will carry out its contract as mentioned in the act of 1909 that they will carry out their part and build the road according to the charter.